A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
7:11
世界杯小组赛：凯西闪击科特迪瓦顽强死守，替补翁达夫梅开二度第94分钟绝杀，德国二比一惊险逆转提前晋级淘汰赛
Undav's Late Brace Completes Germany's 2–1 Comeback Over Ivory Coast
中高级中文听力：世界杯德国二比一逆转科特迪瓦全程回顾。凯西先拔头筹，科特迪瓦顽强死守，替补翁达夫梅开二度第94分钟绝杀，德国惊险晋级。含进阶生词、语法与全文翻译。
This is an HSK 5-6 Chinese listening episode that runs about 7 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 7 key vocabulary words such as 效率、证明、传统 and walks through 3 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
Germany came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1, a roller-coaster of a match full of drama.
It was full of drama because Germany trailed for a time, and only at the very last moment, thanks to a substitute's sudden explosion, completed a nail-biting comeback.
Before the match, almost everyone thought Germany could win this match fairly comfortably.
After all, Germany is a traditional power in world soccer, with both strength and big-match experience plainly on display.
And their opponent for this match, Ivory Coast, though from Africa and less famous than Germany, is by no means a team to be taken lightly.
They have excellent physical attributes, are very fast, and are dangerous on the counterattack.
In recent years, more and more African teams have shown real quality on the World Cup stage, and Ivory Coast is one of the representatives of that.
For Germany, to win this match steadily, they had to be fully switched on from the very start.
However, after the match began, the situation on the pitch stunned the Germany fans in the stadium.
The first to score, surprisingly, was not the much-favored Germany but Ivory Coast.
They seized a chance that didn't come often, and their player Kessie calmly scored, making it one to zero.
For Germany, this opening could be called utterly terrible.
They were one of the title favorites at this World Cup, yet here they were conceding first to an African team and falling behind early.
After falling behind, Germany immediately stepped up their attack, trying to equalize as soon as possible.
They controlled the ball firmly, launching assault after assault at Ivory Coast's goal.
Crosses, long shots, corners, second-ball attacks — Germany used nearly every attacking method imaginable.
By the run of play, Germany held an overwhelming advantage, with the ball spending the vast majority of the time in the opponent's half.
However, what truly counts in soccer is always the number of goals, not dominance in the run of play.
Ivory Coast defended very resolutely, the whole team building an airtight wall in front of their goal.
Their goalkeeper was quite heroic too, several times steadily turning away Germany's sure-looking shots.
No matter how Germany adjusted or attacked, they just couldn't break the opponent's goal for the longest time.
The minutes ticked by, yet the score on the pitch stayed at one to zero.
The Germany fans in the stands grew more and more anxious, and a dreadful thought began to creep into their minds: would there really be an upset today?
At this absolutely crucial moment, Germany's head coach made a vital substitution.
He brought on a substitute striker, and this player's name was Undav.
A so-called substitute refers to a player who wasn't in the starting eleven but was brought on midway through the match.
No one expected that this seemingly ordinary substitution would completely change the course of the entire match.
After Undav came on, the whole Germany attack seemed to be reactivated all at once.
He ran very tirelessly, with an excellent sense of position, always appearing in the most dangerous areas.
Before long, he seized a fleeting chance and put the ball accurately into Ivory Coast's goal.
One to one — Germany had finally equalized, and the atmosphere across the ground was reignited.
This goal meant a lot to Germany; at least they were finally no longer behind.
The Germany fans in the stands rose again, roaring their team on at the top of their voices.
But the story of this match was far, far from over here.
The match stayed locked at one to one all the way to the final stoppage time, the two teams still level.
Just as a rather unexpected draw seemed certain, Undav stepped forward once more at the last gasp.
In the ninety-fourth minute, he received a pass from teammate Nmecha and, facing the chance, calmly scored again.
Two to one — Germany forced a stunning comeback right as the match was about to end.
This goal was worth its weight in gold, because at that very moment, the time left for Ivory Coast to organize a fightback was almost nothing.
In the end, the match finished two to one, and a tenacious Germany had the last laugh.
With this hard-earned victory, Germany locked up a qualifying spot early, advancing smoothly to the knockout round, and the whole team breathed a long sigh of relief.
And the biggest hero of this match, without question, was the substitute Undav.
He scored two goals in a short span, almost single-handedly dragging the team back by force from the edge of the cliff.
A player scoring two goals in a row in the same match has a vivid name in Chinese: "méi kāi èr dù" (a brace).
Undav's brace this time is destined to be kept in Germany fans' hearts for a long time.
Of course, Ivory Coast, who lost the match, deserve people's respect just the same.
They scored first and defended tenaciously for almost the entire match, coming just a hair away from causing a major upset.
Sadly, they fell short at the final moment, unable to hold on to that immensely precious draw.
For them, such a result was undoubtedly very cruel, and after the final whistle, many players couldn't hide the dejection on their faces.
But the fight and spirit they showed on the pitch still won the applause of many neutral fans.
After the match, everyone marveled at the cruelty and charm of the game of soccer.
Some said that although Germany won, the inability to score for so long means their attacking efficiency is still a worry.
Others said that holding firm under pressure while behind and having the last laugh shows exactly that this Germany team has enough resilience.
Still others turned their eyes to Undav, believing his two goals proved his value and that he may earn more playing time in the future.
And of course, some expressed admiration for Ivory Coast's tenacity, believing it was precisely their fight that made such a thrilling match.
For Germany, qualifying early is certainly worth celebrating, but this match also served them a reminder: to go further in the knockout rounds, relying on a flash of brilliance at the last moment is not enough.
They need to take more of their chances in the matches ahead, truly turning dominance in the run of play into goals.
And for Ivory Coast, though they lost to their regret, this match also let the world see their strength and resilience.
In fact, this is exactly the most captivating thing about soccer: as long as the final whistle hasn't yet blown, everything on the pitch is still possible.
Alright, that's the whole story of the Germany versus Ivory Coast match; see you next time.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
考纲词. 进攻效率的问题依旧值得警惕。
HSK 1-4. to prove.
HSK 1-4. tradition.
HSK 1-4. stage.
对某人抱很大期望。人们对德国寄予厚望。
强到几乎无法抵抗。德国占据压倒性优势。
防守非常严密。科特迪瓦筑起密不透风的防线。
* beyond level超纲词
非但没有…，反而…
'Not only did not …, but on the contrary …' marks a strong reversal.
德国非但没有放弃，反而越打越凶。
正是这次…，彻底改变了…
'It was precisely this …, that completely changed …' pinpoints a turning point.
正是这次换人，彻底改变了比赛的走向。
光靠…是不够的
'Relying only on … is not enough' says one factor alone won't suffice.
想走得更远，光靠最后时刻的灵光一现是不够的。
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